Dr. William H. Foege, the epidemiologist who pioneered the ring vaccination strategy that led to smallpox eradication, died Jan. 24 at his Atlanta home. He was 89.
Foege's breakthrough in 1960s Nigeria — vaccinating only those exposed to the virus rather than entire populations, reducing the number of vaccines required — became the foundation for making smallpox the first infectious disease globally eradicated in 1980.
The contributions from this “giant in global public health,” from leading the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to cofounding major global health institutions, have prompted an outpouring of tributes calling him one of the field's most impactful figures.